RE: Bundled/Aggregated Definition Clarification???

["Sally Morris \(Morris Associates\)" <sally@morris-assocs.demon.co.uk>]

We are all guilty (once again) of using language confusingly!

There are probably at least three different kinds of 'bundling' 
here!  One is the selling of a print-plus-electronic 
subscription.  In my experience, this is usually part of the 
evolution of a publisher's e-journal business model.  I observe 
the following stages:

1) E freely available to all (now rarer than it was)

2) E included in print subscription (with or without price 
uplift, usually 10-120%)

3) E available separately from print (pricing tends to be either 
the same for print and e-only (on the grounds that it's the 
content you're buying) or slightly (10-20%) less for e-only; 
print-plus-electronic slightly more than print only, as before)

There's a particular oddity here in Europe, where Value Added Tax 
at the full rate is chargeable on electronic, but not print, 
versions.  There is thus a tax benefit to the customer in 
describing the electronic version as a 'free' add-on to the 
print, even if the print is subsequently thrown away. This is 
particularly marked in the UK and Ireland, where there is no VAT 
at all on the print versions (elsewhere in Europe it's lower than 
the full rate, but not zero).  This is one of the more bizarre 
reasons for hanging on to a print subscription with electronic 
'thrown in'...

4) Print no longer available, or only on a print-on-demand basis 
(not yet widespread, but coming - I believe!)

The second kind of bundling is the bundling of titles together in 
a single package (never, as far as I know, the only option - the 
constituent journal titles are, I believe, always available 
separately at their list price). The bundle may consist of all 
the titles in a publisher's list, or from a group of publishers 
(as in BioOne or the ALPSP Learned Journals Collection); or, if 
the bundle is big enough, it may be subdivided (e.g. by subject). 
Pricing also tends to go through recognizable stages:

1) What the library or consortium previously spent on those 
titles from the collection that it already subscribed to, plus an 
uplift (10-20%). Price per title, thus, a fraction of the list 
price.

2) Flat price per library for the collection, with or without 
adjustment for previous subscriptions

3) Banded pricing based, for example, on the customer's Carnegie 
classification or some other indicator of size/likely usage

4) Introduction of a usage-based pricing component (early days 
for this stage)

The third kind of bundling, to my mind, is the 'bundling' of 
customers in a consortium or other grouping - often, but not 
always, combined with the second kind.  This, too, leads to 
(per-title, per-use) pricing benefits and access to many more 
titles.

You could even argue for a fourth kind of bundling - the journal 
itself, which is a 'bundle' of articles (and, often, other 
content) which are also available separately.  Again, you see a 
price benefit as against buying individual articles

Sally Morris
Consultant, Morris Associates (Publishing Consultancy)
South House, The Street
Clapham, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3UU, UK
Email:  sally@morris-assocs.demon.co.uk

-----Original Message-----
[mailto:owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of toccara porter
Sent: 18 February 2007 21:08
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Subject: Bundled/Aggregated Definition Clarification???

Hello all,

Thank you for the suggestions of sources to consult for on the
topic of bundling journals.

However, I have read a number of articles and I wanted to make
sure I am clear on the definition.  I am not clear as to how much
print versions of journals are included in The Big Deal?

Bundled/Aggregated Subcriptions Definition:

To have bundled/aggregated subscriptions to electronic journals
means the packaging of electronic and print versions of the
journal sold as a single unit; with stipulations in the contract,
depending on the publisher, if either all, some, or none of the
print versions will be cancelled, and/or the library may be
allowed to purchases additional print copies of the journal at a
discount?

That may be a simplified definition, but can anyone tell me if I
have grasped that gist of the definition.

Thanks,

Toccara Porter
    Kent State University